A Lost Mind and Heart
by FlightofSilver
Summary: Link goes missing, and Kris goes searching for him. She comes across an arena, where she meets and befriends some young warriors, one of whom doesn't remember anything beyond life in the arena. Working on it again.
1. Chapter 1

Got the idea, and it started eating my brain to make a story out of it. Got the idea vaguely from reading Super Smash Bros. fanfiction.

**Disclaimer**: Don't own the Legend of Zelda or Soulcalibur. I do own Kris and the Hegen jerks.

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_"I'll find you somewhere, I'll keep on trying until my dying day. I just need to know what has happened; the truth will free my soul." ~Somewhere, Within Temptation_

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**_Prologue_**

The cold desert region of Khaunuth had never been known for its hospitality. A young warrior was about to learn firsthand why. Two large, strong men appeared out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground before he even had a chance to fight.

One pinned him down, face pressed into the suffocating sand, while his partner took the shoulder belt that held the young man's sword and used it to tie him up.

"He'll make a good fighter."

"Yep, probably going to last us a while."

Once their victim was securely tied and gagged, they picked him up and carried him away. "Say hello to your new home, boy," the one carrying his upper body hissed. "Soon it'll be all you ever knew."

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Chapter 1

Five weeks later…

"Guh! OW! Ugh…" A girl in her mid to late teens struggled with branches that seemed to be playing a game of "Let's hit the human".

"Link…" she groaned through her teeth. She struggled into a clearing, lifted her face to the sky and shouted, "LINK, IF YOU DON'T SHOW UP SOON, I AM GONNA BRUTALLY MURDER YOU!" Of course, she was too mad to consider the lack of logic in what she had just said.

She dropped to a cross-legged sitting position and slumped. "Where are you?" she whispered, throat growing sore. "I don't know where to look." Her eyes watered, and she rubbed at them ferociously. Kris Hayden Thomas did _not_ cry. She still missed Link, though.

She forced herself onward until she reached a town. She remembered her friend's departure…

"_Let me come with you!"_

"_No."_

"_Why no-o-o-t?"_

"_Because, it'll be dangerous."_

"'_Be-_cause_, it'll be_ dangerous_," she mimicked sarcastically. "Puh-lease, I've been living with you for a year now. I eat danger for breakfast."_

"_That's right, and you could get food poisoning from that. You're staying."_

"_I eat FOOD POISONING for breakfast!"_

"…_That makes no sense, Kris. Just stop trying. I promised Zelda you would take my place as her bodyguard."_

"_Sheik can do it."_

"_She already does," Link reminded her gently. "You're staying, Kris." He smiled and put his arm around his younger friend's shoulder. "If you don't hear from me, you can send someone to drag me back by the ear." He squeezed slightly, and Kris allowed herself a crooked grin as she returned the friendly hug. Link smiled wider and walked away. Kris shouted after him_

"_I'm holding you to that dragging-by-the-ear offer!"_

"Hey, you there, girl," someone called. Kris turned sharply and set her hand on a sword hilt dangling from her belt. "Easy there, girl," an older man sitting on a barrel told her. "Just wanted to talk."

Kris crossed her arms over her chest. "So talk."

"You have the look of someone who's looking for someone. A friend, or perhaps… a lover?"

"_**EW!"**_

"Okay, not a lover," the man hastily amended. "But you have lost someone very important to you and have come this way seeking him."

Kris narrowed her eyes. "How would you know this?"

"You're clearly not from around here. And I saw a young man come through here a couple months ago." He tapped his head. "The old noggin never forgets."

Kris frowned. "What did he look like?"

"Describe your friend."

"Describe the guy you saw first." Kris had never been one to trust anyone quickly.

"Medium height. Blue eyes, dirty blond hair, pointy ears, he was wearing a pointy hat and a green dress."

"That's him. And it's called a tunic." Kris started to walk away, but the man called after her, "My condolences."

Kris pivoted to face him again. "Huh?"

"He went to Khaunuth. A one-eyed monkey could tell he was a warrior. You might as well go home now and don't waste your energy."

Kris stepped closer, worried. "What's so bad about Khaunuth?"

"It's a cold desert where the Hegen hunters spend at least half the year. They nab promising warriors and take them to their stadium."

"I've never heard of any Hegen."

"Lucky you ran into me, then," the man shook his head of greasy hair. "Don't set foot in Khaunuth."

"But you said Link-"

"I said he went there, yes. Believe me, girly, if you go there, you might find him, but it won't help either of you. Let me tell ya what happens to warriors who get caught by Hegen, what has happened to your friend." The man leaned forward. "He's either brainwashed or dead. If he's dead, then that's that. If he's brainwashed, fighting is all he knows now. He wouldn't know you, he'd attack you and leave you to die. Either way, your friend's lost forever."

Kris clenched her fist against the dread forming inside her. "You don't know Link," she told him firmly. "He's handled worse."

"Maybe, but no one has ever escaped the Hegen. More than likely your friend won't either."

"Then I'll just have to go save him," Kris walked away, ignoring the man's calls.

A massive arena loomed ahead of her. Kris drew one of her two morph blades, turning it into a dagger. She swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and boldly strode up to the entrance.

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And so ends Chapter 1. Next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

Hiatus OVER! Honestly, updates are slow for everything I've got going, considering I'm doing a college class now. I apologize in advance for that. Thanks to levelupluigi, ALMaH fan, Dark Lord Link, and PureUntarnishedSilver for your reviews.

Disclaimer: I own Kris and the Hegen Stadium. Nothing else. Not even Kris's weapons or equipment. That belongs to the geniuses at Namco.

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A large, burly man stood guard atop the wall of Hegen Arena. He spotted a feminine, armored figure approaching. "Looks like another fresh contestant," he remarked to his companion, a rough-looking little green reptile wearing tiny plates of pale blue armor. "Things are goin' well for us."

The warrior was young and of medium height, but also wiry and lithe. Perfect. She would last them a good long while. The way things were going, they might go a year without needing a hunt. The man made a signal with his hand, and the reptile jumped off the wall onto the ground and darted off toward the newcomer.

* * *

Kris placed a hand on her still-sheathed sword hilt and tightened her grip on her dagger at the sight of a creature approaching. She knew it was unusual by the way it changed shape and size as it approached. Before her eyes, the beast rose onto two legs and wielded a battle axe and shield. Kris swallowed hard and pulled out her second blade, willing them both to turn into wave swords. As she tossed one in the air and caught it, she felt that confidence she gained in battle welling up.

"You really want to do this?" she asked casually.

Her answer was a snarl and swing of the axe. Kris spun and struck with her left blade, only to have it blocked. The lizard attacked with the same move. Kris dropped to one knee and let the axe swing over her head, then stuck one foot out in an upward kick. She returned to her feet and parried a blow by the lizard, exposing its back. A slash with her right blade sent it into the air and back to earth with a heavy thud. Not being a fan of giant lizards, Kris kicked it in the side and took a few steps back. The lizard got to its feet and matched her paces. She managed to strike twice, knocking it down again, but it blocked her third and got up, trying to kick her. She avoided it easily and lunged with her swords extended.

"Take this!"

To her surprise, the lizard grabbed her head, jumped up and landed on her. After it crawled off, Kris tried to do a kind of spin attack on it, but it blocked all her blows and brought down its axe on her. Angry, Kris reached out and grabbed it. She jabbed her knee into its rib cage, then threw it to the ground with a battle yell. Both regained their footing; both continued to fight. Finally, she successfully felled it with a blow to the back of its head. Kris circled the fallen body carefully, keeping her battle stance, but the scaly monster made no sign of getting up.

Satisfied that she had won, Kris sheathed both her weapons, and returned her attention to the stadium. Apparently they didn't want visitors. She turned back to her fallen enemy and said, "I must go. Excuse me." She then ran full out for the arena, never noticing the lizard shrinking back to its original form.

* * *

The guard watched the entire battle from his post and raised one arm as the victor approached. Five powerful guards moved into position at the entrance. "She's a brave thing," he muttered. "Stupid, but very brave."

Kris never faltered until it was too late. When she reached the entrance, she was abruptly grabbed and lifted off her feet by eight hands. She yelled, thrashed, and kicked, but they simply tightened their grip. Something slammed into the side of her head, and she went limp.

_L…Link…_she thought fuzzily. _Sorry, Link…_

Then nothing but blackness.

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Ugh...short chapter. I don't update for like three months, then I upload a short chapter. DX I'm such a terrible person. FORGIVE ME! I can just imagine what levelupluigi's gonna say about this. Honestly, I'm practically in love with cliffhangers. And that just seemed to be a perfect cliffie, so there. (And cumulative writer's block fatally injured several brain cells) Next chapter is all but already written, though, so unless I get attacked by Lizardman or something, it should be up soon.

Oh, yeah, I used SoulCalibur Battle Theater for the fight scene. (I fail at fight scenes X[) Tell me how I did, please? Or tell me how awful I am, I don't really care.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to leveluplewa and Dark Lord Link for your nice reviews for my short, pitiful second chapter. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I only own Kris and the Hegen. Everything else either belongs to Nintendo or Namco.

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In the dark, earthy dungeon of the Hegen stadium, a pair of guards stood in front of a cell. One of the other guards, who was currently working escort duty, swaggered up. "Open up," he commanded. "I need to fetch the fighter inside."

The guards glanced at each other. The taller, bearded guard asked, "Ya sure? Do ya know which fighter is in here?"

"The new girl, right?"

"Yeah," the slightly smaller guard answered. "Let me tell ya, she's still got some spirit in 'er. I'd tread careful if I were you."

"Ahh, but you're not, are you? I think I can handle a girl younger than me, thank you."

"Okay," the larger guard answered in a "you-still-have-no-idea-what-you're-getting-into-but-what-the-hey-go-ahead" tone, and opened the door. "Good luck in there."

"Yeah, thanks," the escort walked in. The guards looked at each other and counted down. "Three…two…"

The escort flew out of the door, slammed into the opposite wall and slumped onto the floor.

"…one. MEDIC!"

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Inside the cell, Kris smirked and turned to add to a series of marks on the wall with a lump of charcoal. "So this guy makes…fifteen tallies for concussions, twelve for internal bleeding, and seven for knock-outs." She blew on her knuckles and buffed her nails on the sleeve of her tunic. "Not bad. I could probably do better, but not bad."

She turned and walked over to the hard wooden bench on the far wall, supported by two chains. She sat down and leaned her back against the wall. So far, she had survived maybe a week in here. But even she knew that it could only last so long. Eventually, the guards would figure out a way to subdue her and take her to fight in the ring. And here, they fought until one of the combatants fell and couldn't get up. Then the victor was given any needed medical help freely, while the unfortunate loser was left to try and drag himself back to his cell and somehow nurse his own, more serious wounds before the next battle. One of the guards had told her that, probably hoping to scare her into some kind of state of submission. Kris shook her head scornfully. Nothing scared her, nothing could make her submit. To anything.

Kris sighed and let her head sag forward. She just had to find Link and get out of here.

The lock clicked, and the door creaked open again, snapping her battle senses to attention.

* * *

A young woman wearing a bronze-and-leather dress strolled through a bustling village, carrying a sword in her right hand and a small shield in her other. She spotted a food stall and turned aside to see what she could buy.

"I need bread and salted meat," she told the stallkeeper.

"Alright. How much?"

"Depends. How far to the nearest town west of here?"

The man eyed her warrior's clothes and weapons. "Too far for a warrior to travel. The Hegen Stadium is between here and the next village. You won't make it."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Hegen, huh? Good. I'm going after them."

_Clunk! Clatter!_

The stallkeeper scrambled to pick up his supplies of the floor. "You're…w-w-_whaaat?"_

"I heard about the Hegen and what they were doing, so I decided to do something about it," she waved her sword around in a small circle, showing him just what she intended to do.

The stallkeeper nodded and swallowed hard. "W-well, I wish you luck, then." He handed her a parcel. "This should sustain you until you reach the stadium. Best of luck, Miss…?"

"Alexandra. Cassandra Alexandra."

The stallkeeper nodded. "Best of luck and safe travels, Miss Alexandra."

"Thank you, sir."

* * *

Cassandra trekked through the pale sand, holding up her arm to shield her face from the blowing wind and berating herself mercilessly. She should have at least thought about getting a map or compass or SOMETHING before charging off. Now she felt like a lost deer hunting tigers.

A stadium suddenly loomed ahead. Cassandra gasped and drew her sword and shield. "There it is," she breathed out, then squared her shoulders. "Okay, Hegen freaks, you ready for me?"

* * *

An hour later, she was on the grungy floor of a cell without her sword or shield. _Apparently, they were._

She looked around. This place had been inhabited by someone else, apparently someone who'd been pretty bored. She saw three sets of tally marks on the wall. She sat up and wrapped her arms around her knees. She was trapped in the clutches of the Hegen, the very people she had come intending to wipe out, and was now no doubt going to die or be brainwashed and turned into someone who attacked everything in sight. She would never see her parents, or sister, or niece and nephew again. She sighed and lowered her head onto her knees. "Life stinks," she mumbled.

"Tell me about it."

"Aah!" Cassandra jumped up to her feet and held out her sword, only to see her empty fist and remembered she didn't have her sword. She shifted her focus to the figure sitting on a plank of wood in the wall. Female, short dark hair, purple armor that looked pretty scuffed-up. Cassandra frowned.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

"You mean, besides your new roommate?" The girl snorted. "You first."

"Cassandra Alexandra. You?"

"Kris," the girl answered. "Nice to meet you."

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I'm pleased with this chapter. I'm just happy to update. And that I got an actual Soulcalibur character in here. :) Cassandra's one of my favorite characters.

Please Review!


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